The MachineAnonymous

Describe a significant turning point in your life.

Scrolling through the lines of G-code iterations, I rubbed my eyes as my cursor hovered over the “Run” button onthe monitor. The image of the Arc de Triomphe taunted me. My finger rested on the mouse in anticipation, but thehigh stakes furthered my anxiety.

I had toiled endlessly to develop a printing system that would construct three-dimensional objects, ranging fromchess pieces to human ears, using gels instead of plastics. After working out some kinks to my prototype – a high-resolution 3D-printer whose center was a labyrinth of rainbow-colored wires – I was ready for another test.

I clicked my mouse and retreated, unsure of what to expect. The machine emitted a cacophony of beeps. Gearsclattered. Motors screeched. Sparks and crackles confirmed that something was wrong. My once-confident smilefaded. I knit my eyebrows and reluctantly hit the red “Emergency STOP” button. The machine froze mid-print, andthe lab went silent.